Hoyas Made Mitchell Attempt
Yesterday, Tre Mitchell decided to attend Kentucky, leaving West Virginia as well as disappointing a slew of fan bases in the process.
Zach Smart updated Hoya World on Mitchell's GU dance. His submission follows, with scant editing. The report was scheduled to be published this weekend, but Caleb Williams' eventual commitment, as well as a plethora of 'Live' events pushed it's publication to the back burner.
With the whirlwind of ongoing change at West Virginia, Georgetown will look to add proven veteran experience. The Hoyas are one of several programs to reach out to 6-foot-9 Mountaineers transfer Tre Mitchell, who has entered the portal following the sudden resignation of Bob Huggins. In a recent decision which has rocked college basketball, Huggins and WVU decided to part ways after the Hall of Fame coach was arrested on DUI charges in Pittsburgh several weeks ago
It is the second incident in as many months for Huggins, who issued an apology after using homophobic slurs on a radio show back in May. The self-sabotaging incidents bring Huggins’ unique, accomplished legacy at WVU to a screeching halt. The NCAA is quite the forgiving place these days, as Chris Beard recently re-surfaced at Ole Miss after being fired from Texas for his role in a domestic incident last winter.
While Huggins may coach again, his time at WVU has come to an unceremonious, tumultuous end. Mitchell may be the first of several outbound transfers.
He's coming off a season in which he averaged 12 points and six boards. A floor-spreader with a deft outside touch, Mitchell shot 36 percent from beyond the confines of the arc. He shot it at 47 percent from the floor, emerging as a catch-and-dunk threat and proficient around the rim scorer.
Mitchell, a hotly-pursued recruit out of Woodstock Academy (CT) four years ago, is hearing from a number of programs. Since the word traveled that he had entered the portal, Mitchell has heard from Kentucky, Memphis, DePaul, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, and others. Mitchell has not ruled out a return to West Virginia.
While his story is not atypical in the current NCAA climate, Mitchell enters the portal as an already well-traveled veteran. After a stellar prep career, Mitchell began his career at UMass. He had instant success, putting up gaudy numbers (17.7 points and six boards as a freshman and 18.8 points and six boards as a sophomore) which had not been seen by an underclassmen since Marcus Camby.
As a junior, he transferred to University of Texas, where he adapted as more of a role player. During his lone season with the Longhorns, Mitchell averaged 8.7 points and four rebounds. Mitchell left Texas for personal reasons, albeit there seemed to be some discord between the style of play employed by the aforementioned Beard and Mitchell.
During his in-conference transfer to fellow Big 12 program WVU, Mitchell returned to top-shelf form. He scored 21 points on a sizzling 8-for-10 from the field (5-for-5 FT) during a 75-57 victory over Morehead State. Mitchell had a 22-point game during an 85-67 thrashing of Oklahoma State and turned in a 20-point game (8-for-12 FG, 3-for-5 3FG) in a 76-74 loss to then-No.3 Kansas.
He scored 17 points, pulled down nine boards and added four steals, helping propel the Mountaineers to a 78-62 victory over Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament opening round.